Acetylene-gas apparatus.



No. 702,092. Patented lunoTO, |9o2.

A. w. EDWARDS.

ACETYLENE GAS APPARATUS.

(Application filed Sept. 20, 1901.) (No Model.)

THE "cams PETERS ca, mom-undo wAsnmm'om w. 1:.

m nate; it u I clare the followin y-act descriptionof theflsanru-i 1 I v i v I My invention relates :to" improvements in] v lo' 'acetylene-gas'machinesiof the 'classknown as ARTHUR] W. DWARDS, F] SAQRAMENTO, 'oai ii oninn; 1

SPEQIFICAEION fomm 5ml of Letters- Patent No. 702,092, datamin; 1o, 1 902.

- yapplioationfiled sa temberzo leel.Isms] no. 75,711 on) m dem 1'0 ZZ whom z'tjlmay concerit ,l 1 Be it known thatL'ARTHUR W. E WARDS;

a citizen of the .United. States,"'re'siding;at

Sacramento, county o f Sacramento, State of;

5 California, have-invented an'l rnprovement in Acetylene-GasMachines'; and I: here by 'deg "to be a full, clear, and excarbid-feed machines, in whichithfedry' carbid in granulated form'isiletiin'to the Iwa l "ter containing generator 'chainbe'ras.needed. v

Its objectis to provide a m'echanisrniadapted for illuminating purposes on any scale'iin which the parts shallbeas few-'inynumber as possible and whereinthe feeding of the c'arbid maybe automatically effected by a valve v mechanism operated by the-rise. and fall of:

2c "the gasometer. Whilje feed-valves so; oper gl f ated-have been ;used,' they are generally so,

complicated or sojexposed to-th'e';corroding Y and fouling influencesfof the earbid that they j soon lose their required, degree ofsensitiver nessandinconsequeneeundesirablyaugment 1 the-fluctuation in pressure Within the gas I h p w H v to the tank through the'pipe 9. vThis pipe extends transversely across thetankandhas 8c .gorneter. p My invention consists of a generator having its lower portion adapted as a jwater-conterior to the chamber whereby the diseh'arge" is regulated-,-'said valve 'of co'n'elshape' and e having a stem extending upwardly through the chamber, a guidefor said" stem, telescoping tubes or cylinders' inclosing said guide escape of any gas from thegeneratorthrough 40 said guide, and nieanswhereby the rise and fall of the gasometerlwilltend to; closeorl v I merce. LAn openingc12isformedattheapex of the cone] On the exterior ofthe chambera and surrounding theopening '12 is'anann uQ openthe valve. y p I It also comprises a 'cone-shaped-flangeor and adapted as ai waterseal to prevent the shield upon the "lower part of the c arbidf whereby the moisture "condensingin the top a .45 chamber inclos'ing the discharge -iop'ening,h

.of the generatorisdirected away fro nthe valve-seat. I t It also includes a noveldispositiouof pipes sisted in the Water-tank ofthe. generator, by which the operation of cleansing the latter iswasf whe details win "bedescribed hereinafe Figure 1 is a vertical .seet'ion ofjn yinven-J.

of Fig. 1.

' Aand'B respectivelyrepresent til-generator 6e '7 and agasorneten' Tlhe'latter has-the custom-f iaryi'rising and fallingbellbfand the usual in-' let and discharge openings 2'and -3, respectively. The generatorycon prises"a, waterto fitwithin the'latte'r. 'Thebell ri'sprovided bell lisheld improper-"position by means of afi or other purpose. lTh'e'bottom off-the tank'a is .inade in' the' form 'of 'an inverted cone 7, and a'discharge-a'perture isfmadej at its apex,

-in thetank niaylbefdra'wnofif"at any time. This :open'ingis 'contro1'led by'any, suitable valveim'echa'nisrn', asz8."* Water is admitted a central downwardeitension'f lOinfthe line of 'the aigis ;of the ,coneii. The pipe 9 within'] the tank and the extension lOare perforated,

inner surface .of the conel 'and all lime dey posit and incrusta'tion'thereon are removed." Anoverflow-pipell prevents thetankbeing chamber 0 in the :fojrrniof aninv'erted cone; Theword carbidliisiused herein to desig natethe ordinarycalciuin carbid of com lar flared or cone-shaped; fiangel'1 3. En-ter ing the top of the bellfandfon the lineiof the 7 axis of the cone O is,'a' ;tube-or small; deep a or; as will hereinafter be ermed, the carbid-chamoer.? The cylinder also projectsa i suitable distance above the-top of the bell.

. Withi'n and passing through" the bottornof v tion, taken'onthe'linew wofFig-fl .'E-ig.2 is a'horizontal sectionitalienjonthe linen; ai I containing reeeptacle a and a belld",adapted with guide-lugs 4, whichareslidableon the" I a standards 5, secured to the reeeptaclea. The

nut 6. Thet-wofparts a andaf may thus be 'easil'y taken apartforfinspection, cleaning through-"which the. Water andfdeposit with so wheni 'water is let'in -i-tisdischarged 4 through these perforations over the entire 83 f filledbeyondacertainpointgj? Theupperportionofi the bell a ispi'ovidedwith ga carbid 9,0

cylinder 14, which extends w ithinthe c'one C, 'i do I V this cylinder is a tube 15. The tube 15 serves as a guide for the stem 16 of the valve 17, which latter regulates the feed of carbid from chamber 0 into the generator-chamber. The valve is cone form and seats against the walls of the aperture 12 and opens downwardly and outwardly. The flared flange 13 forms a hood, as it were, for the valve, the purposes of which will be mentioned later. The valve 17 is made to seat normally, by means of a helical spring 18, upon the upper end of the stem, which spring has one end bearing against the tube 15 and the other retained by a nut on the stem. A tube 19, closed at one end to form a deep cup or cylinder, telescopes within the cylinder Hand incloses the spring, stem, and tubular guide 15. \Vhen water is placed in the cylinder ll, a perfect water seal is made, so that gas forming within the generator, while it may pass into the carbidchamber, may not escape through the guide tube 15. The carbid in granular form is admitted to the chamber 0 through a suitable opening having a gas-tightclosure 19. Upon the top of the bell a is a support 20, upon which is fulcrumed a lever 21 of the second class. The other end of this lever is flexibly connected with the bell of the gasometer B by means of a chain 22. The support 20 is disposed in relation to the parts 14 15 19 so that said parts are intermediate of the support and the gasometer. The lever is provided with a cup-like projection 23, which is adapted to rest upon a projecting pin 24: on the cup 19. The short arm of the lever may be provided with a counterbalance-weight 25. The gas is conducted from the generator to the gasometer by means of a pipe 26.

In operation the generator is first filled with water to a desired height. The carbid-chamber is charged. Durin g the process of charging the lever would be detached from the gasometer-bell or the latter would be wedged up, so as to allow the valve 17 to close. A downward pressure on the lever opens the valve and feeds the carbid to the generator. The gas passes into the gasometer through the pipe 26, while the steam generated at the same time with the gas is condensed on the inside of the top of the generator and flows down and off from the cone or shield 13. \Vithout this shield the moisture would gather around the seat of the valve 17, befouling it and preventing the valve from operating properly. The cone shape of the valve 17 also diverts the carbid in such a way that it falls upon the water in a wide circle and nearer the walls of the generator, so that the rising steam caused by the slaking lime tends to pass up around and outside the shield instead of into the latter. As a consequence only a very small amount of moisture ever collects on the valve. As the gasometer fills the hell I) rises and gradually allows the lever to lift and close the feed-valve. As the gas is consumed the bell falls, and when it has reached a certain mark the lever is operated to push down on the valve-stem, and so again admit the carbid to the generator. The operation of feeding thus becomes entirely self-governing, depending only on the consumption of gas in the gasometer. All danger of explosion by the too rapid forming of gas or of an excessive amount of gas in the generator is obviated by reason of the water seal formed by the parts a and a, one within the other, and also on account of the seal in cylinder 14.

The slaked carbid has a tendency to settle in a dense mass several inches thick on the bottom of the generator, and it is frequently necessary in cleaning out the tank first to make a passage-way or hole through this deposit, so the water even may be run off. I have placed a small pipe and nozzle 27 in the opening of'the discl1arge-valve,thro ugh which a jet of water may be projected upward to assist in the cleansing process.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. An acetylene-gas machine, comprising in combination a gasometer, a generator including a water-containing receptacle and a bell adapted to fit within the latter, uniting-pas sages between the gasometer and generator, a carbid-containing chamber in the upper part of said generator-bell, a discharge-opening in said chamber, a valve opening ontwardly and downwardly and adapted to control said opening, means including a springpressed stem extending through the top of said bell whereby said Valve is normally closed against said opening, and a lever of the second class on the outside of the generator-bell and connected with the bell of the gasometer, by means of which lever said valve is made to open and close by the rise and fall of the bell.

2. In an acetylene-gas machine, the combination with a generator composed of separable, telescoping cylinders, water supply and discharge openings in said generator, a carbid-chamber in the top of said generator, a discharge-aperture in the bottom of said chamber, a valve exterior to the chamber and fitting said aperture, the stem of said valve extending through said chamber to the exterior of the generator, means including a tube ex tending above and below the top of the generator and an inverted cup within said tube and extending above the same said means forming a Water seal about said stem to prevent the escape of gas from the generator, a spring by which the valve is normally kept closed, and a lever bearing upon the cup whereby said valve may be opened to admit carbid to the generator-chamber.

3. In an acetylene-gas machine, the combination with a generator, of a carbid-chamber therein, a discharge-opening in the bottom of said chamber, a valve seating in said opening exterior to the chamber, a valve-stem, a tubular guide for said stem, said guide closed at both ends and extending above and below the top of the generator-casing, means including a tube and an inverted cup'both extending above and below the top of the generator-casing and forming a seal whereby gas may not escape through said guide, and a spring hearing upon the end of said guide and against the end of the stem whereby thevalve is held in a normally closedposition. l

4. In an acetylene-gas machine, the combination with a generator, of a carbid-oham'ber, a discharge-aperture therein, a cone-shaped valve seatingtherein and adapted to open outwardly into the generator-chamber,ia conical flange or hood upon said carbid-cha'mber and inclosing said valve, a stem on said valve, said stem extending upwardly throu gh said carbidchamber, aclosed tubular guide for said-stem,

a fixed cylinder inclosing said guide, and extending above and below the top of the generator-casing, a means by which a seal with said cylinder may be formed to prevent the escape of gas around said stem, a spring by which said valve is made normally to seat,

and a lever mechanism whereby said valve ter supply and discharge openings, a carbidchamber in said generator, a discharge-aperbid radially within the generator-chamber, a I stein for said valve, a' tubular gnideinwhich saidstem is slidable, a spring bywhi'ch said] Valve is normally'held in 'closed position', a 1 fixed cylinder open atitsouter endextendi 'ing into the carbid-chanlb'er'g" and through which said guide passes, asecon'dcylinder slidable within said fixed-cylinder, and adapted to form a water or'like seal therewith, said slidable cylinder inclosing and supported by said stem; and both cylinders and: the guide extending above and below the topof the generator-casing and a lever-of the second class fulcrumed upon the generator and adapt" I ed to bear upon the top of the slidable cylin der to operate the above-mentioned valve in bell. V

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand. ARTHUR W.'EDWARDS.

Witnesses:

J. B; SIMMs, FRANK L. GAFNnY.

relation to the rise and fall ofthe gasoinetery .50 

